UNITED G.O.P. FRONT; Opposing an Arizona Remap

By MARC LACEY

Published: October 8, 2011

Nearly every major Republican politician in Arizona issued a news release this week - all within an hour or so of one another on Wednesday afternoon - condemning a draft redistricting map approved by a state commission.

Gov. Jan Brewer called the maps ''a travesty,'' ''gerrymandering at its worst,'' and ''every Democrat's dream.'' Joining her were Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain, who issued a joint statement calling the work of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission ''political'' and ''very disappointing.'' Releasing similar statements were the bulk of the Republican members of the House as well as State House speaker, Andy Tobin, who said the redistricting process had been ''hijacked.''

The barrage of statements was not coincidental. The governor's office organized the flood of e-mail to emphasize that Republicans were united in their opposition to the draft map.

''We've got the rest of our AZ Republicans sending something out and continue to feel that a united front from our state Republicans will be best for all of us,'' Ryan S. Serote, the governor's director of federal relations, said in an e-mail to Apryl Marie Fogel, communications director for Representative Paul Gosar, on Wednesday afternoon.

The commission that Republicans are condemning has two Democratic members, two Republican members and an chairwoman who is a registered independent. The draft map, which will be discussed in public hearings next week, was endorsed by a 3 to 1 vote, with one Republican voting no and one abstaining.

The map, which adds an additional congressional district to the eight that Arizona had previously, creates four Republican districts, two solidly Democratic ones and three others considered by the majority of the commission to be competitive.

The map might create a problem for two freshman Republicans in the House, David Schweikert and Ben Quayle. Mr. Schweikert said he would change his voter registration from Fountain Hills to Scottsdale to allow him to run in a newly created district centered in Scottsdale. That could put him up against Mr. Quayle in a Republican primary.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.